The present invention is directed toward a method, system, ship and collecting device for oil spill recovery.
With the larger oil tankers of today great quantities of thick black crude oil can be released into the water should the oil tanker experience an accident. Accordingly, several million gallons of crude oil can spread over the water. Currents can carry the contaminating oil out to sea and to hundreds of miles of coastline. Oil spills can produce devastating damage to coastlines, fisheries and kill tens of thousands of animals.
Oil is not easy to clean up as can be evidenced by recent disasters. Moreover, it is important to start cleaning up a spill immediately before the oil has a chance to spread.
There have been numerous proposals to recover oil from a spill on the water. One approach is to use chemical dispersents which break down the oil into tiny pieces. However, there is a body of evidence to suggest that such dispersents may harm ocean life. Other approaches include using booms which are floating sausage-like members with skirts that hang a few feet below the surface. They can be towed by ships to corral the pancake-like floating oil. Subsequently, skimmer devices then collect the oil by sucking or scooping it up.
Exemplary of other known prior art approaches include those described in the following U.S. Patent Nos.: 3,251,330; 4,182,679; 3,693,801; 4,209,400; 3,730,346; 4,223,625; 3,844,944; 4,356,086; 3,847,816; 4,388,188; 4,116,833; 4,818,399; 3,722,688; 4,142,972; 3,836,004; 4,510,054 and 3,970,556. As noted, an oil spill is subject to currents and sometimes the oil will move toward the open ocean which makes its recovery by known skimmer devices difficult because of wave action, particularly with rolling seas. In situations where there are several million gallons of spilled oil, the heretofore known devices used are inadequate. Unfortunately, present human efforts will generally get rid of about 10 percent of the oil from an oil spill.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide for an oil recovery method, system including a vessel and collecting apparatus wherein oil spills may be easily and quickly contained and recovered.